The pitch used for the two-day Ashes Test at Perth Stadium has received the highest possible assessment from the ICC. Match referee Ranjan Madugalle rated the surface as "very good" after it produced 19 wickets on the opening day and a result late on the second, highlighted by Travis Head’s blistering 123 off 83 balls.
Under the ICC’s four-tier system, a “very good” rating is awarded to pitches that offer good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, ensuring a fair contest between batters and bowlers. The game lasted just 847 deliveries, the second-shortest completed Test ever played in Australia and the shortest Ashes Test by balls bowled since 1888.
Pace dominance and rapid finish at Perth, as rated by ICC
Fast bowlers dictated the early stages across the first three innings. Mitchell Starc claimed 7 for 58, while England collapsed from 160 for 5 before tea on the opening day. The visitors responded with a fierce bowling effort of their own, reducing Australia to 123 for 9 at stumps, with Ben Stokes picking up five wickets.
On day two, England extended their lead to 105 with nine wickets in hand, only for Scott Boland to spark a middle-order collapse. Chasing 205, Australia surged to victory inside 29 overs after Travis Head was promoted to open in place of the injured Usman Khawaja. Captain Steven Smith noted that the pitch seemed to improve late on day two, mirroring a similar pattern seen in last year’s Test against India.
The rapid finish followed another low-scoring Test, India vs South Africa in Kolkata, which stirred debate about the quality of pitches. The ICC’s rating for that surface is yet to be revealed.
Cricket Australia is expected to lose between AU$3–4 million due to the prematurely concluded match. “The match referee’s ‘very good’ rating justifies our belief that Perth Stadium produced a pitch with a fair balance between bat and ball,” said James Allsopp, CA’s chief of cricket. He noted that the Gabba’s two-day Test against South Africa in 2022–23 had earned a “below average” rating due to excessive grass, but no such issues have arisen in subsequent matches there.
Australia's only day-night Test defeat at home came against West Indies in 2023–24, while last year’s Test against India at the same venue was disrupted by rain.
